quote:

Originally posted by heckofajobBrownie:
No, urgency is needed in politics. And by the way, Pat Robertson is urging action in the new batch of global warming commercials produced by Al Gore's company.

I'm hip.
Bandwagoning I'd guess.

Again, it's not Al Gore or Pat Robertson anyway. It's the science.

You have to admit Al's the spokesman.
I didn't choose him.
So if he says goofy stuff it's fair to call him on it. No?

As for the taxes, if you're going to make the price of carbon-based energy that much more expensive they've have to -- have to -- lower taxes in other areas. It'd have to be offset. You'd crush the economy.

That's what I think.
But I don't expect to see a reasonable and useful cut elsewhere.
And the extra gas money hurts the working man worse than any.
Where does a 30 K a year guy make that up?
He pays nearly no income tax.

And most of that carbon tax revenue is going to go into the general fund, with only a portion meted out for R&D.

Which IMO is a bad thing.
It should go to non pork R and D.
The general fund is like airlifting cash into Somalia.

But man, you're a cynical bastard. I thought I was about as cynical as they come. You don't even think the government can implement a tax? That's one thing I'm pretty sure they can do.

Sure they can. Didn't somebody use the Twain blurb; if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail?"

PS - OPEC may not be pumping at capacity -- why would they? -- but it's rising demand pushing the price up lately, not stagnant supply.

We need some kind of pressure to put on them.
And nope, not quite sure what it might be yet. In time it could be food.

PPS - You're right about corn ethanol, of course. A politically-supported boondoggle of epic proportions that needs to be ended yesterday.